Donald Trump posted a pic of me by my tent. Then a bulldozer arrived

[ad_1] Jake Horton BBC Confirm in Washington DC

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/765b/live/18a70b10-7ac2-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/765b/live/18a70b10-7ac2-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/765b/live/18a70b10-7ac2-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/765b/live/18a70b10-7ac2-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/765b/live/18a70b10-7ac2-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/765b/live/18a70b10-7ac2-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/765b/live/18a70b10-7ac2-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/765b/live/18a70b10-7ac2-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="BBC A man in a white t-shirt and aqua shorts and black sunglasses sits in a camping chair on a patch of grass. A second camping chair is next to him, and tents and a wheelchair are visible in the background. In the far distance, a large building is visible." class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> BBC US President Donald Trump was driving alongside in his motorcade by Washington DC final Sunday on the best way to his golf membership when he noticed one thing that clearly irked him - a homeless tent encampment on a patch of grass.

"The Homeless have to maneuver out, IMMEDIATELY," he posted on Fact Social that morning, together with 4 images.

One among these confirmed a person sitting in a tenting chair by his tent, who I might finally be taught was Invoice Theodie. 4 days later, Mr Theodie was compelled to maneuver after the president introduced a crackdown on homelessness within the nation's capital.

"That is me," he stated after I confirmed him the picture Trump posted, which was the primary time he had seen it.

"That's insane that he simply leaned out the window and takes an image of me after which posts it on social media in a unfavorable manner, utilizing it as his political software."

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/a154/live/1ec49850-7ac2-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.png.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/a154/live/1ec49850-7ac2-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.png.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/a154/live/1ec49850-7ac2-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.png.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/a154/live/1ec49850-7ac2-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.png.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/a154/live/1ec49850-7ac2-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.png.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/a154/live/1ec49850-7ac2-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.png.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/a154/live/1ec49850-7ac2-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.png.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/a154/live/1ec49850-7ac2-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.png.webp" loading="lazy" alt="A graphic shows the picture the president posted, zoomed in to show Mr Theodie in a white tank top sitting on the lawn in a camping chair." class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> On Monday, Trump introduced his administration can be "eradicating homeless encampments from throughout our parks, our stunning, stunning parks".

"We have now slums right here, we're eliminating them," he stated from behind the rostrum within the White Home press room.

After the announcement, BBC Confirm determined to research the images that the president had posted.

We matched visible clues within the footage of the tents - together with a bend within the street alongside the grassy space the place they have been pitched - to a location on Google streetview.

Watch: How Trump’s drive to his golf course formed homeless crackdown in Washington DC

The encampment was a couple of 10-minute drive from the White Home, and fewer than that from the BBC workplace in Washington - so I headed down there to see what had occurred to the positioning that had caught the president’s consideration.

Once I arrived native officers have been there warning individuals they might quickly be compelled to maneuver.

I additionally discovered Mr Theodie, a 66-year previous from Missouri, sitting in the identical tenting chair.

He had seen Trump drive by earlier than.

"The president's motorcade is fairly lengthy," Mr Theodie stated. "I've seen it coming by right here 3 times."

"You realize, I perceive he would not wish to see mess, that is why we exit of our option to keep it clear. We're not making an attempt to disrespect the president or some other one who comes by."

He advised me he had been residing on the web site for years and works in building, although he is been out of full-time employment since 2018. Usually, he can decide up only a few shifts a month.

On Thursday, Mr Theodie and the opposite residents there have been advised to pack up and depart instantly.

A neighborhood reporter filmed as a bulldozer was despatched in to dismantle tents and different belongings individuals left behind.

Watch: homeless encampment in Washington DC destroyed after Trump order

"They stated you could pack it up or they'll bulldoze it. They did not come for speaking, it was go, go, go," Mr Theodie stated.

Wayne Turnage, the deputy mayor of the DC Division of Well being and Human Providers, stated metropolis authorities have eliminated encampments throughout the capital earlier than.

That is normally achieved with not less than every week's discover, he stated, however the course of has been fast-tracked following Trump's announcement.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/a033/live/4289abb0-7ac5-11f0-9dfe-e547f48dddf3.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/a033/live/4289abb0-7ac5-11f0-9dfe-e547f48dddf3.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/a033/live/4289abb0-7ac5-11f0-9dfe-e547f48dddf3.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/a033/live/4289abb0-7ac5-11f0-9dfe-e547f48dddf3.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/a033/live/4289abb0-7ac5-11f0-9dfe-e547f48dddf3.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/a033/live/4289abb0-7ac5-11f0-9dfe-e547f48dddf3.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/a033/live/4289abb0-7ac5-11f0-9dfe-e547f48dddf3.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/a033/live/4289abb0-7ac5-11f0-9dfe-e547f48dddf3.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="A man in a white t-shirt and aqua shorts and black sunglasses sits in a camping chair on a patch of grass. A blue suitcase in a shopping cart is next to him. In the fare distance, a large building is visible" class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Mr Theodie says he would not really feel secure sleeping in a shelter

The homeless encampment was the most important within the metropolis, based on the native authority - with 11 individuals residing subsequent to one of many primary routes out of Washington DC.

Earlier than the most recent crackdown, there have been 97 individuals residing in homeless encampments within the metropolis this 12 months, an enormous drop from 294 in 2023, the figures present.

The estimated variety of individuals experiencing homelessness is 5,138 this 12 months, down from 5,613 in 2024, based on the town's yearly snapshot.

The most recent knowledge from the Neighborhood Partnership, an organisation that works to scale back homelessness, reveals about 800 individuals are unsheltered, whereas about 4,300 others have some kind of non permanent housing.

The White Home stated it should supply to position individuals sleeping on the streets in homeless shelters and supply entry to dependancy or psychological well being companies - but when they refuse, they are going to face fines or jail time.

"You'll be able to't simply snatch individuals up and threaten them with arrest or power individuals to go to a shelter," stated Mr Theodie. "I do not wish to go to a shelter - they're dangerous locations."

Organisations that work with homeless individuals say the system is flawed as shelter capability is usually restricted.

Since leaving the positioning, Mr Theodie has spent three nights in a motel in Virginia after somebody who noticed the elimination gave him cash to cowl it.

"If I wasn't blessed by that particular person, I do not know what I might have achieved. I in all probability would've sat down on the kerb all day," he stated.

"This room is jammed packed stuffed with stuff, my tent and my belongings… but it surely's so good to sleep in a mattress, to take a bathe, to make use of a personal lavatory, it feels completely superb."

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/16d6/live/3b9398c0-7ac5-11f0-9dfe-e547f48dddf3.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/16d6/live/3b9398c0-7ac5-11f0-9dfe-e547f48dddf3.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/16d6/live/3b9398c0-7ac5-11f0-9dfe-e547f48dddf3.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/16d6/live/3b9398c0-7ac5-11f0-9dfe-e547f48dddf3.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/16d6/live/3b9398c0-7ac5-11f0-9dfe-e547f48dddf3.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/16d6/live/3b9398c0-7ac5-11f0-9dfe-e547f48dddf3.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/16d6/live/3b9398c0-7ac5-11f0-9dfe-e547f48dddf3.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/16d6/live/3b9398c0-7ac5-11f0-9dfe-e547f48dddf3.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Submitted photo Duffel bags and full garbage bags are piled up on a floor next to a bed with a brown duvet" class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Submitted picture Mr Theodie piled his tent and different belongings right into a motel room following the encampment being closed

Mr Theodie stated he'll attempt to discover a new spot when he checks out of the motel: "My most suitable choice is to attempt to discover a secure place to set my tent up. I do not know the place that is going to be, however I want to keep in DC."

I additionally met George Morgan, a 65-year previous from Washington DC, on the encampment. He stated he had solely been residing there for 2 months, after he needed to transfer out of an condominium he might not afford.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/7e30/live/34c706d0-7ac5-11f0-9dfe-e547f48dddf3.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/7e30/live/34c706d0-7ac5-11f0-9dfe-e547f48dddf3.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/7e30/live/34c706d0-7ac5-11f0-9dfe-e547f48dddf3.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/7e30/live/34c706d0-7ac5-11f0-9dfe-e547f48dddf3.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/7e30/live/34c706d0-7ac5-11f0-9dfe-e547f48dddf3.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/7e30/live/34c706d0-7ac5-11f0-9dfe-e547f48dddf3.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/7e30/live/34c706d0-7ac5-11f0-9dfe-e547f48dddf3.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/7e30/live/34c706d0-7ac5-11f0-9dfe-e547f48dddf3.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="A man in a red t-shirt and camouflage pants sits in a blue camping chair in the shade of a tree on a patch of grass. A bottle of water is in the cup holder. His dog can be seen sleeping by his side, underneath the chair." class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Mr Morgan says he spent his final cash to ensure his canine might stick with him in a motel

Once I referred to as to see what had occurred to him after the encampment was eliminated, he was in a motel reception space together with his canine, Blue, after somebody lined the price of an evening there for him too.

"We're sitting right here to see if we're in a position to get one other evening. I needed to pay $15 canine price - which was the final cash I had."

Once I final spoke to Mr Morgan, he had been in a position to lengthen his keep on the motel by the weekend - however stated he did not know what subsequent week would deliver.

"I've to play it by ear as I've no cash. God has at all times come by, so I am going to see what God units up subsequent."

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